Happy Valentines Day for tomorrow. Here's the next instalment of this story. I hope you all enjoy your day. Also, to fellow Candians, enjoy Family Day and the long weekend if you happen to get that day off. Long weekend for me! Yippee!

Chapter 6

Sam had just finished listening to the message Jason had left on her voicemail when she heard the insistent knocking on her door. She made a mental note to call Jason back and tell him that she was okay with meeting up later on to discuss their options on her way over to the front door. "All right, calm down. I'm coming," she shouted in annoyance.

She swung the door opened and upon seeing her guest, she sighed loudly in frustration as her gaze landed on one of the few people she loved but absolutely did not want to deal with at the moment.

"Hey, Sam," Her cousin, Nikolas, smiled at her and looked around the hallway, pointedly looking at Jason's door. She could see millions of questions in his eyes and she felt a headache coming on, knowing the conversation would not be pleasant.

"May I come in?" Nikolas asked, peering behind her pointedly. She smiled at him and opened the door further for him.

"Of course you can," she said and allowed him to walk through the doorway.

"Nice," he commented as he took a seat on her couch and finally met her expectant gaze and smiled.

"But?" Sam asked knowingly as she closed the door and joined him on the couch.

"Curious choice, that's all."

"My place blew up, Nikolas," Sam reminded him and surveyed the apartment she now owned. "I'm a woman of little means now so when Jason generously offered me Sonny's penthouse at half the price, I had to take it."

Nikolas rolled his eyes. "You got a huge severance package from the show, Sam, and you know if you had asked, I would've lent you the money or even given you a place to stay. Don't expect me to believe that Jason's generosity is the real reason you decided to accept the apartment. I know there's something more going on here."

She felt irritation creep up her spine at his words. Sometimes he was annoyingly perceptive.

"Jason wouldn't offer this apartment to you if he didn't think there was a reason you should be in such close proximity to him again."

"Don't worry about me," Sam tried to assure him. "I've got everything covered."

His eyes widened in alarm. "You'll forgive me if I'm not exactly reassured by that knowledge."

Sam sighed heavily. "Concentrate on your son instead of your adult cousin who is capable of taking care of herself."

Nikolas glared at her angrily. "You're my family. You have had a lot of close calls lately so don't tell me to stop worrying because it isn't going to happen."

"Instead, tell me what is going on." His gaze pleaded with her to let him in. He probably thought he could help and she felt a small amount of guilt as she shook her head. She could never let him help her out of this mess. It was too dangerous for her, let alone a man with a young son.

"Does this have anything to do with the explosion that killed Jerry?" Nikolas saw something flash through her eyes and decided to rely on his hunch. "I had a feeling you were involved in that."

Sam looked at him nervously. "What are you talking about?"

He leaned forward and smirked at her. "Come on, Sam, you were the one that detonated those bombs."

"So," Sam met his gaze unflinchingly.

He seemed surprised by her admission. He half expected her to spew out denials of all kinds, claiming that she was missing at the time, even though Jason was frantically searching for her, going to Jax of all people for information which to Nikolas was a dead giveaway that Jerry was the one that had taken Sam.

"And Lucky told me that he suspected Jerry was working with Karpov," Nikolas told her of his brother's suspicions.

"Lucky was suspicious?" Sam's tone was incredulous. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised the self-absorbed ass would claim credit for someone else's suspicions. But when I told him about it, he practically laughed in my face."

"You told Lucky that Jerry was in league with Karpov?" Nikolas was tempted to ask why his brother would lie but at Sam's stormy expression, he decided against asking her.

"When was the last time Lucky had an original thought?" Sam asked him sarcastically. Clearly, she was still pissed about whatever had broken the two of them up. "I was the one that infiltrated the Russian Syndicate while I was trying to smoke out whoever was putting those counterfeit drugs on the market."

Nikolas shifted his gaze from hers as he looked around the apartment to focus on something else. "I didn't realize you and Lucky were on such bad terms," he muttered, absently wondering why his brother never warned him that Sam was furious.

The curse that came from her lips was muttered so silently, he might not have heard it had he not been sitting as close to her as he was. "Jackass," was what he thought he heard and the tight expression now on her face confirmed that he had not imagined it.

"I know it's not my place," he began to speak on his brother's behalf and defend him but the sudden coldness in her eyes caused him to trail off midsentence. "What?"

"Don't," she warned him seriously, repositioning herself on the couch once again, a move he attributed to her sore hip. "Don't defend Lucky to me. I know he's your brother, but I'm your cousin and if you don't want to ruin our relationship and destroy my trust in you, I'm asking that you stay out of it and leave it alone."

He nodded in understanding. "Of course," he added for good measure.

She smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you." And once again he felt bad about the surprise that was reflected in her gaze but the vulnerability vanished quickly, almost immediately replaced by the stormy, mysterious cloud swirling in her mocha eyes.

Sam McCall was not the easiest person to get close to. She was very guarded. She had built walls around her so thick you needed a bulldozer to even try to break them down. Her recent brushes with heartache and pain had only fortified those walls.

As her cousin, he felt outraged at the people that had put her through the wringer so many times, allowing her to live under the belief that she wasn't worth anything. That she was indeed trash and should be grateful for any scraps of affection that the people around her decided to throw her way.

Her past gave her an amazing strength that he felt truly made her the intelligent, resourceful, amazing woman that sat before him. She was a Cassadine by birth which made them biological relatives, but it was her spirit and undying loyalty and strength that made him proud to call her family.

While she continued to rattle on about how Maxie was the mastermind behind the décor of her apartment, he realized she was trying to distract him.

"And what did Jason think about it?" He asked suddenly, knowing that Morgan was probably more involved in her life than he was just two weeks before.

Sam narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't see why that is relevant," she murmured, turning away from him because she didn't like the fact that Jason's name had come up again.

"So he's been inside since you've moved on," Nikolas realized almost immediately why she had turned away from him. He was getting close to figuring out whatever was going on.

"Yes," came her forceful reply. "He helped me move some boxes."

"And have you seen him since?" He knew the answer was yes before she turned back around to fix him with a glare.

"Why do you keep bringing him up?" She demanded to know.

"I'm just trying to figure out how Jason fits into everything," Nikolas replied, shrugging innocently. "You're living across the hall from him right now, which makes you neighbour. I want to make sure he's not being an ass again."

He almost laughed at the scoff of disbelief that immediately escaped her lips. It truly was a lame excuse but it was all he could think of.

Sam leaned forward and looked at him seriously. "I am the one that killed Jerry." He gasped. He already knew that but it was one thing to know and quite another to actually hear her say the words. "As I've already said, Jerry was working with Karpov and when I pushed that detonator, not only did I blow Jerry up, but I also destroyed a very large shipment that belonged to the Russians."

She sighed heavily, chastising herself for giving in and telling him even the smallest bit of information she was now. "Jason is helping me deal with the fallout." She looked up at him and felt moved by the concern in his eyes.

"I'll be fine," she promised.

"You're going against the Russians," Nikolas said slowly, terror welling inside him as he thought of the danger that she was facing. His cousin could get herself killed. "You're anything but fine."

"I have a plan," Sam revealed sheepishly. "It's a good one. It will take time to carry out but it will drive the Russians out of Port Charles forever. It will get rid of those poisonous placebos too."

"I don't care about the pills," Nikolas shook his head in exasperation. "I don't care about the Russians swarming the city. I care about you and what you're talking about could get you killed. You already have Karpov gunning for you. Do not put yourself in more danger."

"I'm already in danger and I have been for a while," Sam reminded him irritably. "But I have backup this time."

"And you honestly think you can trust Jason Morgan this time around?" Nikolas asked incredulously. He knew all about how Morgan had treated his cousin before and after their breakup. He was even suspicious about him having something to do with the hit and run accident and the fact that the culprit was never found.

"I don't have a choice," Sam told him honestly. "But for what it's worth, I do believe that Jason is on my side." She saw the lingering doubt in his eyes. "He can't hurt me because there's nothing going on between us. This is all about getting rid of the Russians and saving my skin. That's it."

Nikolas nodded at her in understanding, signalling that he would keep her secret. "I don't like the idea of putting your life in his hands."

"Well, just remember that it works both ways," Sam put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "His life is also in mine."